It was a game that Luis Diaz ran amok in. A match that saw the winger score twice in front of his freed father following his kidnapping – which left him emotional in the stands.
Diaz and his family have dominated the headlines for all of the wrong reasons – through no fault of their own – over the past three weeks in their native Colombia and around the world. But the 26-year-old is now the toast of his country after a 2-1 win over Brazil. Two headers in a five-minute period saw Liverpool team-mate Alisson Becker breached.
The win lifted Colombia into third spot in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. Brazil, meanwhile, suffered back-to-back defeats and sit just fifth.
Alisson was one of the few standout performances for the five-time world champions. Per Sofascore, the goalkeeper made eight saves – with five from inside the box – and was given a match rating of 8.5.
The Reds stopper could well have been beaten by Diaz in the first half, though, when Brazil led Gabriel Martinelli. In the 31st minute, the former Porto wide man broke at pace, skipping past Renan Lodi and burst towards goal. He thought he only had Alisson to get past – yet Andre Trindade made a stunning tackle to thwart Diaz.
Kopites may well have been wondering who had just produced such heroics if the game was six months ago – and started the due diligence into who exactly Andre was. Supporters are now well accustomed to the midfielder, however, after Liverpool showed interest in signing him during the summer.
Fluminense, the club who Andre represents, rebuffed the Reds’ approach midway through the Brazilian season. They had their sights firmly set on achieving Copa Libertadores glory for the first time in their history – and that decision reaped the dividends. Earlier this month, Flu defeated Argentina giants Boca Junior 2-1 at the Maracana.
Unsurprisingly, tittle-tattle of Liverpool’s interest in Andre did not relent from the summer until the Copa Libertadores final. The defensive-midfield role has not been fully remedied since the exit of Fabinho. Alex Mac Allister has filled the remit since being signed from Brighton for £35 million but it has meant his attacking qualities have been reined in. What’s more, Mac Allister hasn’t looked entirely comfortable in games away from Anfield.
Wataru Endo, meanwhile, has taken time to settle after being recruited from Stuttgart. He made only a second Premier League start in last weekend’s 3-0 win against Brentford only because Mac Allister was forced to serve a one-match ban.
Against Brazil, Andre won six of his seven ground duels while he had a 96% pass completion. He was given a Sofascore rating of 7.3, which ranked him Brazil’s second-best player.
The clamour has continued for Andre to be signed amid reported interest also from Arsenal, Manchester United and Fulham. Aged 22, his best years are still well ahead of him. Reports suggest that Liverpool have cooled their interest despite Fluminense president xccccc confirming they’ll allow the player to leave for the right price in January.
Yet the tackle on Diaz highlighted that Andre could mix it with the very best the Premier League has to offer.
